How bludlow started their web page design journey

Summary

Zone Positive is a new ecommunity for coaches (life coaches, executive coaches etc.). This is a centralized place for them to network, take courses, get business building tools and publish their works. In Phase 2 will add a consumer site enabling people to get advice from coaches, find and book a coach for remote sessions ( providing revenue-generated client referrals for the coaches). Our site is grounded in the teachings of positive psychology, the science of what goes right in life (thus, the use of the word positive in our name). We just completed a logo contest with 99designs (see wireframe for winning logo) - we’re now ready for website design.

Company name

Zone Positive

What inspires you and how do you envision the design for your business?

We want a design that's contemporary,professional, distinctive and easy on the eye. We want a design that the usersees and thinks: “I belong here—thissite offers me connections that will help me in my life and business”. The siteshould be clear and easy to use. Thesite should have a fixed width no greater than 1000px. We expect a need for vertical scrolling, butwould like to see important content/functionality above the fold. The layout should be consistent and flexible.

Wants

- We want two PSD or fireworks files delivered without any of the images layersflattened. It will be our job to put these into XHTML and apply JS and CSS asneeded. - Colors should be complementary to logo palate.- From the pdf containing the site wireframe, thefollowing 3 pages need designs:-- Coaches HomePage: the coaches homepage willhighlight several of the main features and benefits we are offering coaches: find clients (this is a listing and adsection for coaches participating in our advertising program—this is howconsumers find and book a coach), coachingtools that will help them in theirbusiness (for example positive interventions that can be used with clients), networking with other coaches, personal development (take courses inpositive psychology and get certified as a practitioner), and the publishing corner (post articles andwhite papers that you have written). Coaches will need to register with our site and provide profile information to have fullaccess to these features. In phase 2,clients will have an opportunity to rate coaches based on their sessions withthe coach.

-- CoachesTools Page ( a list of Positive Interventions – a crowd sourcing page wherecoaches can get, use, comment on, rate and create new interventions (like anexercise that can help someone deal with a challenge in their life or job).

-- ConsumerHome Page: while this is a phase 2 effort, we’d like to see the designconcept now. We envision a teaser questionnaire on the consumerhome page—a simple 5 question life satisfaction survey to engage them and pullthem into the site with curiosity. Fromhere, they can “dig deeper” (whichtakes them to the more comprehensive survey—and other questionnaires that willgive them insight into their life, their challenges, where to focus theirefforts and why they might need a coach to help them along the way), “get advice” (which allows them to aska question/get advice – coaches then respond to posted questions—ala Yahoo!Ask.),as well as “find a coach” (this is alisting of all participating coaches – with profile, area of specialization,rates etc. provided.).
- Sites we like: Actually, we likethe simplicity of the 99 design website. We much prefer an uncluttered space which is easy to grasp, navigate and doesn’t overwhelm thevisitor.

Don't want

- We don't want a site that requiresflash for any part of it to function. This is going to be put together in validXHTML and CSS to make it as accessible, usable and lightweight as possible.
- We don't want the use of colors that are too strongor garish
- We don’t want a cluttered look—prefer clean, airy,inviting.